Mr. Jeffrey E. Hicks - BOE President

Mr. Hicks has served on the Southampton Township Board of Education since taking his first oath of office in January 2013. He was first elected as a school board member during the General Election of November 2012. Mr. Hicks presently serves on the Board’s Curriculum and Policy Committee, but in previous years he has served on the Budget and Finance Committee. In addition, Mr. Hicks was elected and served as President of the Board from January 2016 - December 2021.  

 Mr. Hicks is a proud twenty-nine (29) year resident of Southampton Township. Jeff grew up and currently resides on Main Street in the Vincentown Village of Southampton Township. He attended Southampton Township Schools from third to eighth grades, graduating in June 1993. After leaving Southampton Township Schools, Jeff attended Lenape High School in Medford, New Jersey, and graduated in the top 10% of the 1997 graduating class. From there, he matriculated to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), in Ewing, and graduated in May 2002 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mechanical Engineering, cum laude. In September 2002, Jeff was certified as an Engineer-in-Training (E.I.T.) through the State of New Jersey; the first step at becoming a Professional Engineer (P.E.).

Upon graduating from TCNJ, Jeff was employed for several years with BE&K Engineering Company (now Kellogg, Brown, & Root (KBR)) in Newark, Delaware, as a Mechanical Engineer. Clients that Jeff worked for while at BE&K included: DuPont, Valero, and Arkema. Jeff’s duties as a Mechanical Engineer ranged from writing equipment specifications to vendor bid evaluations to process and instrumentation (P&I) diagram reviews. Projects that Jeff contributed to while at BE&K were located domestically and around the globe, such as in China, and India, and cost anywhere from $1 million to $100 million plus.

Looking for a change to expand his horizons and skill sets, Jeff went back to college in September 2007. He attended Burlington County College (BCC) in Pemberton, New Jersey, to pursue an Associate of Science (A.S. in Chemical Engineering) degree and an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S. in Dental Hygiene) degree; graduating, summa cum laude, in May 2008, and May 2009, respectfully. Immediately after graduating from BCC, Jeff matriculated into the Leon Hess Business School at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, to pursue a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management. The M.B.A. program provided Jeff with a great opportunity to learn about the business side of today’s healthcare system, the dilemmas currently facing it, and the attempts being made to improve the system. To cap off his M.B.A. curriculum, Jeff was required to conduct a four hundred (400) hour healthcare residency at a reputable healthcare facility. He underwent the residency during the summer of 2011 at CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, New Jersey. During the residency, Jeff was fortunate to have shadowed several distinguished healthcare administrators on their routine schedules, such as the hospital’s vice president of operations, the director of rehabilitative services, and the director of engineering and maintenance. From his residency experience, Jeff learned a lot about healthcare management practices in the field. Subsequently, Jeff graduated with his M.B.A. with a concentration in Healthcare Management in August 2011. Based on Jeff’s academic performance at Monmouth University, he was invited and subsequently inducted into the University’s chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma (the International Honor Society for Accredited Business Schools) in May 2012.

In an effort to get a full comprehension of today’s healthcare system, Jeff is finishing a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree at Thomas Jefferson University’s Jefferson College of Population Health, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is Jeff’s hope that a M.P.H. degree will provide him the social and political perspectives on today’s healthcare, nicely complementing his previous business experience in the industry.  

In Jeff’s spare time, he enjoys being active within the community. Several organizations that Jeff belongs to include: The Vincentown United Methodist Church; Central Lodge #44, Free & Accepted Masons in Vincentown (Past Master – 2009; Lodge Chaplain – 2011 to present); Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of Southern New Jersey, in Collingswood (currently serving as Junior Warden in the Lodge of Perfection, and Master Costumer for the Valley); Shriners International, Crescent Shrine in Westampton, NJ; Vincentown Grange #67, Patrons of Husbandry; Vincentown’s Junior Order of United American Mechanics Council #17 (presently serving as Councilor); Southampton Township Memorial Day Parade Committee (Master of Ceremonies, 2015 to present); Sons of The American Legion (S.A.L.), Guy W. Doron, Sr. & Jr. Squadron #526 in Southampton Township; S.A.L., Burlington County Committee of New Jersey (County Commander, 2012-13); S.A.L., Detachment of New Jersey (Detachment Adjutant, a.k.a. State Secretary, 2009 - present); Veterans of Foreign Wars (V.F.W.) Auxiliary Post #7677 in Medford, NJ; and, he volunteers his time as an amusement ride ticket seller at the annual Burlington County, NJ, Farm Fair (2000 - present).  

For residents that are not aware, Jeff’s family has been an active contributor to the storied history of Southampton Township Schools. For starters, his maternal grandfather, the late Edward B. Cliver, faithfully served the District for twenty-nine (29) years as the Secretary for the Board of Education. Mr. Cliver retired in June 1985. In addition, Jeff’s mother, Mrs. Grace C. Hicks, a Southampton Township Schools’ 1965 graduate, taught school in the District for twenty-two (22) years. She retired in June 2010, capping off twenty-nine (29) total years teaching in public school education. And finally, Jeff worked in the District for a couple of years, while in college, serving as a substitute teacher (subbing in grades K to 8) and as a counselor at the former Grace’s Academy after-school program in School #1.

Jeff’s decision to serve on the Board of Education was for several reasons. First, he believes public service is an honorable and humbling calling that has limitless rewards not just for the servant, but especially for those being served (the students and residents of Southampton). Furthermore, he wants to give back to his beloved alma mater that has given him a rock solid scholastic foundation on which to build his life.

In closing, Jeff enjoys working alongside his fellow school board members and the district’s administrative leadership all in an effort to preserve Southampton Township Public Schools’ longstanding Tradition of Excellence in public school education. By working together as a board of education team, he looks forward to finding solutions to our district’s challenges and seizing opportunities that will enhance our district in the future. Jeff sincerely thanks the residents of Southampton Township for placing their utmost trust in him to serve as a representative on their Board of Education. In this capacity, he pledges to always work in the best interests of our community.